Preview: Stone Tomcats vs. East Central Hornets
Stone is 1-6 against East Central since March of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Stone Tomcats will head out on the road to square off against the East Central Hornets at 7:00 p.m. Stone will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Stone was not the first on the board last Saturday, but they got there more often. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Wayne County 6-5. That's two games straight that Stone has won by just one run.
Braxton Jones made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Jones has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Jones was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Connor Tice was incredible, going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base.
Meanwhile, East Central fell victim to a tough 13-5 loss at the hands of Vancleave on Saturday. East Central has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Fischer Strickler was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, East Central hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Stone's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-7. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs per game. As for East Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Stone suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to East Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can Stone avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
